


A Collision of Worlds

by cheshirecat_smile



Category: Doctor Who, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Although I supposed you could read it as a ship if you want to, Canon Compliant, Gen, No Ship, WIP, if you ignore some minor details, the Doctor meets the wizarding world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-01-07 16:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12236730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshirecat_smile/pseuds/cheshirecat_smile
Summary: The Doctor finds himself stranded in London without his TARDIS. He stumbles across The Leaky Cauldron. Where he meets Severus Snape. An unusual friendship ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is something that I’ve had in my head for a while. I’ve attempted to write it a number of times, but given up. This is my latest try. 
> 
> This fic is an A/U in which DW-vers and HP-vers exisit together. In this A/U neither the DW TV show, or the HP books or movies exist.

The Doctor swore as the TARDIS swerved violently. He flicked a number of switches in the hope that one of them would do something to stabilise it. In response the TARDIS jerked suddenly, dislodging the Doctor from his spot at the control panel. 

“Disengaging internal atmospheric regulations” announced an automated voice. The Doctor had inadvertently turned off the one system which made then TARDIS habitable. Clearly pressing random button was not the appropriate action to take in this particular situation. 

The Doctor jumped to his feet and attempted to make his way towards the control panel, only to find his coat tangled in the railings. In the time it took him to free him to free himself the TARDIS’ internal monitors had detected that it could not currently support life and initiated it’s Emergancy Protocols. Which in this case involved removing all beings with life signs to the nearest planet with an atmosphere which they could survive in. 

Which is how The Doctor found himself sitting on the ground in an unfamiliar street, wishing he had a manual for the TARDIS. It would make repairs remarkably easier. 

Realising that he was attracting the unwanted attention of numerous passerby’s he stood up, dusted himself off and looked around. His instincts, honed by years of time and space travel told him that he was on Earth, in England, quite possibly London sometime in the 1990’s. The time period was easily confirmed by a newspaper he saw being blown down the street. It was in fact the 18th August 1989. The location was slightly harder to confirm, so for lack of anything better to do, what with the TARDIS floating around in outer space for the time being, he set off in the hopes of finding a street sign, or recognisable monument.

Within a few moments he stumbled across Trafalgar Square. Glad to have confirmed the effectiveness of his instincts he set off again. Wandering aimlessly to pass the time. However, within minutes he stopped, having noticed a peculiar building in the middle of Charring Cross.

The building was old, which was unsurprising, the majority of building along the road, in fact in London, were at least a couple of hundred years old. What was different was that the building _appeared_ old. In a street lined with old buildings refurbished into modern bookshops, cafés and theatres, the crumbling down pub was an anomaly. The Doctor crossed the road to get a better look. The paintwork was chipped and peeling, the wood was rotting in places and servers of the windows were broken. In most areas a single abandoned building wouldn’t be considered strange. However it was extremely unusual this close to the Center of London, where there was a high demand for premises for pubs, shops, and other establishments. 

The strangest thing about the building though, was that was The Doctor approached it, he was able to sense an energy coming of it. This energy was so unlike anything he had encountered before that he could barely begin to describe it. He could feel it surrounding him, pressing down on him. Human technology would not advance to be able to produce this kind of energy for hundreds of years. So where was the energy coming from? And more importantly who was creating it? 

Intrigued by the mystery he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the energy. However the scan came back empty. His screwdriver, which worked on every signal, matter or piece of technology in the universe, well apart from wood, was unable to read the signal emitting from the building. He stood back to observe the building again.

This time he noticed something else. Out of all the people that passed the building, not once person even glanced at it. Not the stressed looking commuters in their suits hastening down the street. Or the inquisitive children, running from their exasperated parents to point at whatever had caught their interest. Even the tourists, who looked at almost every building on the street and stopped to take pictures of a few of them so much as acknowledged the building’s existence. It was as if something was making them ignore the building. Like a misdirection circuit. A technology which causes their eyes to skate right over what’s directly in front of them. An energy perhaps. But why wasn’t it targeting him? 

Deciding he’d learnt all he could from the outside of the building. He headed towards the door the the sign proclaiming what might have been “The Leaky Cauldron” in faded letters, and walked in.

  


* * *

  


Upon finding himself in a crowded bar, The Doctor sat at an empty table in a shadowed corner, where he could observe his new surroundings relatively unobtrusively. The patrons of the bar seemed to be pretty similar to humans. He ran a scan with his screwdriver on the nearest one, a seemingly middle-aged woman stirring her tea with a long wooden stick, to confirm. It came back as 100% human. But if these are humans, why are they able to see the pub, what makes them different to the humans outside, who remain ignorant to the existence of the building.

Before he can ponder that anymore, something else registered in The Doctor’s mind. Something he should have noticed, but didn’t. It takes him a few moments, but he eventually got there. A stick. Why was the woman stirring her tea with a stick? Most people tend to use a spoon. He glanced at her again, and noticed that in fact she’s stirring the air above her drink with her stick, yet the tea is swirling in her cup. He concluded that these humans must have access to technology that he was previously unaware of. She had to be using a type of energy, possibly channeled through her stick to stir tea. He then realised that her stick must be somewhat similar to his sonic screwdriver, and wondered if he could use his screwdriver to stir tea. He made a note to try that at the next available opportunity.

But, he realised with a jolt, he has gotten distracted. The point isn’t what these people can do with there strange technology, but where the technology has come from in the first place. The obvious solution is that is an alien technology that the humans have somehow harnessed, but if that’s the case why has he not come across this technology elsewhere in his travels.

He studies the room in more detail, hoping to glean more information. The bar looks like a standard English bar of this time period. The bar-keeper serving customers food and drinks. The patrons chatting amicably amongst themselves. Or in some cases reading newspapers, which on closer inspection seemed to have moving pictures of them. The Doctor added that to his mental list of inconsistencies. The bar was well lit and clean, in complete contrast to it’s outwardly appearance. And it was warm, due to the large open fireplace on the opposite wall. 

The Doctor than realised that something else was unusual. Not being overly fashion aware it was entirely understandable that it had taken him so long to notice that the clothes the people were wearing were entirely wrong for this time period. They were wearing cloaks. He was fairly hazy on the subject, but he was pretty sure that cloaks went out of popular use almost two century’s ago.

His musings on cloaks were abruptly cut short when the fire flared green and a man stepped out. Using fire as a portal was an completely foreign idea to him. He couldn’t begin to comprehend why somebody would invent such a technology. Unless, of course, the fire was an illusion, to disguise the real appearance of the portal. The Doctor decided that that must be the case, as the alternative was utterly incomprehensible.

He noticed that the man who had travel through the portal was not staying in the bar, nor was he heading towards to entrance that The Doctor had used. Rather he was walking purposely towards what The Doctor has assumed was a back door. The Doctor abruptly decided to follow this man, in the hopes of finding answers to his numerous questions. 

  


* * *

  


Severus Snape enjoyed the summer holidays. The break from his teaching and Head of House duties left him with ample spare time. He had finished his lesson plans for next year and the majority of the brewing for the hospital wing by the end of July. This gave him the whole of August for personal pursuits. He usually divided his time between reading, trawling both muggle and magical bookshops for more books to read, and of course potion experiments.

The latter is what currently held his interest. He was attempting to create a more effective sleeping potion, with less negative effects when used long term. However, problems arose when he attempted to add the Sopophorus Beans to the Octopus Powder. The two ingredients caused a reaction he hadn’t foreseen, and ruined the potion. Sighing he reached for a clean cauldron and began again. He started preparing the Haliwinkles he would need for the first step, when he noticed that he wouldn’t have enough.

Considering the fact that he was also running low on a variety of other ingredients, he might was well go to Diagon Alley to replenish his stock. While there was a potions shop in Hogsmead it generally held ingredients of a lower quality then Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. Grabbing his cloak and his Gringotts Key, he made his way to his office, and then Floo-ed to The Leaky Cauldron.

As he stepped out of the Floo and made his way towards the entrance to Diagon Alley, he felt someone’s eyes on him, but he dismissed it, accustomed to the stares of students who were unused to seeing him out of school. However, as he noticed someone following him up the Alley towards the apothecary, he reconsidered his assumption.

He changed direction and started leading his follower to a small disused Alley. Once there he whirled around to confront. A _muggle_?


	2. Chapter 2

“Who are you?” he demanded . “And most importantly, why are you following me?”

“I’m The Doctor. I got here through the pub on Charing Cross, and honestly I’m following you because I’m rather confused. Humans aren’t supposed to have access to technology of this level for hundreds of years! So who gave it to you? How did you come across it?” 

“What on Earth are you babbling about? Have you been confounded? Technology? That’s been _given_ to us? And you speak of humans as if you were not one? Are you a vampire or werewolf? Perhaps a disguised goblin?” 

“Well, not exactly… I’m actually a Time Lord, from Gallifrey. While we’re mostly humanoid, we are distinguishable from you by our two hearts. I’m sure I have a stethoscope, if you’d like to check.” 

Severus watched as the man began to dig around in his pockets. They were much larger than they appeared, judging from the assortment of objects he pulled from them, but that was easily explained by an extension charm. It was what the man had said that was nonsensical. Two hearts; from ‘Gallifrey’. Clearly this was someone attempting to prank him. Perhaps disguised with Polyjuice Potion. Well, there was an easy way to see if this was the case. Severus pulled out his wand and cast and identification spell at the man.” 

The sticks were multifunctional. Not just used for stirring tea. Much like his screwdriver. Although the sticks didn’t make a noise, instead they had a light. Almost like a ‘photonic stick’. The Doctor pulled his mind away from the interesting tangent it had ambled down and concentrated on what he could learn about this technology.

The light seemed to be made of the same kind of energy as the misdirection circuit on The Leaky Cauldron. He had no idea what it was doing. But it didn’t seem to be hurting him, so he didn’t object. After a moment or two the light dissipated. The Doctor looked at the man, who seemed to be looking at him in shock. 

“You have two hearts”, he choked out.

“Well, yes, I told you this already”, The Doctor was beginning to wonder if the man had issues comprehending simple English. “You still haven’t answered any of my questions, you know.”

“I. Maybe we should continue this conversation elsewhere. The middle of a street is not the best environment to learn why someone has two hearts.” With that Severus turned and headed back the way he came, The Doctor no longer following him, but beside him. 

  


* * *

  


Severus turned and walked back towards The Leaky Cauldron, his shopping plans forgotten. How was it possible that the man had two hearts? It couldn’t be, yet the diagnostic spell he had cast told him it was true. And what was it the man said he was? A Time Lord? How does one be a lord of time? From Gallifrey, Severus by no means considered himself a geography expert, but Gallifrey was on no map he had ever seen. 

He turned back and saw that The Doctor was following him again. This time he was glad of it. He wished to find out more about this stranger with two hearts, but didn’t feel as if he could have continued the conversation standing in an alley. To be seated for the duration would be preferable. With a drink. He entered The Leaky Cauldron and approached the bar. He spoke to Tom, the bar tender, ordering a simple lunch and a coffee, and seated himself at a table in the corner of the room. He watched as the strange man did the same. 

“You haven’t even told me your name” said The Doctor as he sat down opposite him. 

“Of course, my apologies, I am Severus Snape.” He pulled out his wand and murmured an incantation. “I have cast a silencing spell around our table, which will allow us to speak freely, without fear of being overheard.” He took a bite of his food. “But, of course, you wouldn’t understand. A silencing charm creates an - intangible bubble is an apt description, around a designated area, such as our table. This bubble prevents sound waves from being carried outside of this area. Therefore, no sound which originates at this table can be heard in the rest of the bar.” 

“Hang on, spell? You mean like magic spells? Like wands, and black cats, and flying broomsticks kind of spells? This is a lot to take in. I suppose all the references to magic in children’s books and such had to come from somewhere. I mean, you’d be hard pressed to find a myth that doesn’t originate from fact in some way. I guess this means your references to werewolves and vampires were sincere too? That they also exist? Woah. Magic. How in the world could I have spent 700 years travelling the Universe, and have missed something like _this_?”. 

700 years! You mean to tell me that you’re 700 years old. That’s inconceivable. Wizards live longer than muggles, non-magical, but rarely live to 200. Living 700 years; that’s impossible. You don’t look at day over 45.” 

“I’m actually 900 years old. I only started travelling when I was 200. Time Lords live significantly longer than humans, and most species for that matter. It’s to do with our ability to regenerate. When a Time Lore is close to death, their body produces a hormone called “Lindos”, which causes their biodata to be rewritten. In simple terms Time Lords can survive what should have caused them to die by being reconstructed into a new body, while keeping their memories. A Time Lord is however limited to 12 regenerations. Otherwise we’d all live forever.” 

“Did I say I was a Time Lord? Time Lord is the name of my species. You would consider me to be a alien. I come from a planet far across the Universe called Gallifrey. I have travelled to Earth in my TARDIS, eh ‘spaceship’ if you must, which is currently broken down in another galaxy. So I’m effectively trapped here for the time being.” 

So, if you’re from another planet, how is it you speak such flawless English”

“Ah, that’s quite simple really. I can speak a huge number of languages, due to the TARDIS translation matrix. It translates what I hear into my native language, High Gallifrian, in my mind. I’m actually also speaking it right now, but the TARDIS is also translating that. The TARDIS isn’t able to translate all languages though, just the majority of them. Those words you spoke earlier, for example, to cast the silencing spell. It couldn’t translate those.” 

“Well, that’s because it’s not an actual language; most incantations are butchered Latin, but some are in English. I’m honestly not sure on the reasons for that. I never looked into it.” 

“So are the words you say important? I mean, what would happen if you mispronounced them, or intentionally said different words?” 

“In the majority of cases the spell would simply fail. Usually there are three parts to successfully casting a spell; wand, the incantation, and intent. Wand refers to the way your wand is moved durning the casting, incantation we’ve covered, and intent mostly involves visualising the effects your spell will have. Of course, some more powerful wizards and witches are able to cast certain spells wandlessly, or silently, but that’s difficult to master.” 

“How fascinating. Utterly marvelous. That the success of the spell depends on the… Oh, that reminds me. Hold on a moment I want to try something”. He pulled out his screwdriver and pointed it at his coffee. It promptly exploded over everything in the vicinity. “Ok, maybe not my best idea”. He tucked his screwdriver back into his pocket. 

“What was the purpose of that?” enquired Severus and he cast a cleaning and drying charms at their clothes. 

“I saw a witch stir her tea with her wandearlier. And I figured my screwdriver is relatively similar to a wand and wanted to try it. Won’t be doing that again”. He chuckled.

“Your screwdriver?”

“Yeah, a sonic screwdriver. Kind of like a wand. In a sense I supposed. Not really. No never mind that. It’s advanced Gallifrian technology. It was originally only for lock picking and projecting sounds. I just upgraded it a bit. It does almost everything now. It won’t opened a deadlock seal. Or work on wood at all, I should really get on that. Or apparently stir coffee. Now I know.”

“Merlin, you’re worse than a first year student, ill thought out experiments in subjects you know nothing about. What convinced you that would be a good idea. While my wand and your sonic screwdriver do seem to have some similarities, they are all in the results they produce, not the manner in which they are produced. The two are in fact wildly different. Tell me, can your screwdriver move objects, or perhaps create wind? No, then how could you expect it to stir your coffee, nothing I’ve heard about it would suggest that it is capable of causing your coffee to move within your cup.” 

“Hum, yes. I suppose that is logical reasoning. I didn’t consider the matter that deeply.” He pressed on as if he hadn’t heard the other man mutter ‘obviously’ under his breath. “I’m more of a act first kind of a guy, which does tend to have more dangerous results I’ll admit. But it’s too late now to teach this old dog new tricks. Say, that sounded quite like it could have been a lecture, are you perhaps a teacher?” 

“Indeed, I teach Potions in Hogwarts, which is in Scotland. It is one of the only formal Wizarding school on Europe. We teach students how to control their magic and how to preform a variety of spells, most of which they’ll use in adulthood. As the Potions Professor, it’s my job to ensure that students can brew a few simple potions, such as a headache draft or fever reducer. As well as more complicated potions such as Draught of the Living Dead, a potent sleeping potion, to improve their proficiency with the subject.” 

“So wait, if you’re a teacher in Scotland, what are you doing in London?” 

“Well, firstly travel within The Wizarding World is mostly instantaneous, so distance isn’t a concern. But I am here to visit the apothecary in order to replenish my stock of potions ingredients, which is running low.” 

“Oh, ok, that sounds interesting. Do you mind if I tag along? I haven’t much else to do at the moment, and do enjoy experiencing new things. ” Severus agreed, and the two began to make their way to Slug & Jiggers. “Say, what’s this about instantaneous travel?” asked The Doctor as they were leaving the pub.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've edited the two previous chapters.  
> The chapter breaks are now in different places, and I'd added something to the end of Chapter 2.  
> I've now reached the part of the story that I haven't written before (I've multiply drafts of the first three chapters over the last couple of years), so updates might be a lot more sporadic.  
> Hope you like this chapter.

As they made their way to the apothecary The Doctor found that there was a considerable amount of things that he still didn’t understand about the Wizarding World. In the short walk between The Leaky Cauldron and their destination he bombarded Severus with a plethora of questions. What’s with your clothes? Why not wear the same style clothes as muggles? What’s Quidditch; why does it need a supply shop? Where do yous do your food shopping? Are there other shopping locations? Severus answered his questions with a decreasing amount of patience. 

When they reached Slug & Jiggers Severus suggested it would be better if they spilt up, he could get what he came for, while The Doctor explored the shop. Before they parted Severus gave him a warning not to touch any of the ingredients as a large number of them could harm him, and several more were rendered useless once they had been handled without proper precautions. He then proceeded to take his time selecting the best quality ingredients for his experiments. He looked up a while later, genuinely expecting to find The Doctor standing impatiently near the door, wondering why he was taking so long. That was not the case. 

  


* * *

  


The Doctor had found the apothecary to be quite fascinating. At first he just observed Severus. The man gave his task his entire concentration. He walked purposefully towards certain areas, as if he knew the entire shops layout by heart. He then methodically sorted through a jar he picked up and considered each piece of it’s contents carefully. Once he was satisfied with one piece he set it aside. The Doctor had no idea why Severus was so painstakingly selecting his ingredients, but he seemed to be very thorough.

After a moment or two of this The Doctor got bored and decided to explore his new surroundings. It was a small shop, with shelves crammed full of jars covering squeezed in so tightly there was almost no space to walk. The Doctor wandered over to the nearest shelf and found that the shelves were labeled. There was no organisational system that he could decipher. The jars weren’t sorted alphabetically, and didn’t seem to be sorted by contents, with animal parts such as Acromantula Venom right beside Starthistle. He couldn’t be entirely certain of this however, because, while he had heard of Starthistle, a plant found in South England, he’d never heard of an Acromantula, and was only assuming it was an animal due to the fact that it had venom. It was also entirely possible that the ingredients were sorted by storage requirements, or perhaps common uses. He didn’t know enough about the subject to do any more than guess.

He was about to move onto another shelf when something labeled ‘Pond Slime’ caught his eye. Wondering what use _pond slime_ could possibly have in potions, he absentmindedly reached for the jar and pulled it off the shelf. He uncorked the jar and reared back in disgust; it definitely smelled like pond slime. He quickly closed the jar and moved onto the next shelf.

He found himself curious about several more of the jars and also opened them to smell them. He figured that couldn’t do them any harm. Each smelled just as bad as the last. He continued around the shop as such for some time, until came across a jar labeled ‘Gillyweed’. It appeared to be strings of green slime, and it was _moving_. He found himself unable to resist touching it. He opened the jar and stuck his finger into it. It felt truly disgusting, He began to question what it was, he pulled out his sonic, hoping that it would be able to get a read on it. When that failed he tried the next obvious step. He picked out a strand and brought it to his mouth. He was just about to taste it, when a voice interrupted him.

”What are you doing, you idiot dunderhead?” I specifically told you not to touch anything, and when I look up, not ten minutes later, I see you about to ingest an ingredient you know nothing about!” That is behavior I don’t expect from anyone over the age of five. This ingredient”, Severus continued as he took the jar from him and returned it to it’s place on the shelf, “while it wouldn’t have permanently harmed you, it would have momentarily given you gills. That would have rendered you unable to breathe as, it may have escaped your notice, we are not currently underwater. Without immediate action you would have died.”

”Well, I would have just regenerated, but that isn’t entirely pleasant. No more touching, or tasting, I swear.”

Unable to take his word for it, Severus sent the man to wait for him outside while he paid.

  


* * *

  


The Doctor waited, rather impatiently, outside Slug & Jiggers and decided what other shops on the alley we would like to visit. The Quidditch shop had seemed rather interesting, and he would love to get his hands on some books. He didn’t expect Severus to spend the whole day with him, they had already spent a good hour or two together, and surely the man had things to be getting on with. But while he would rather further explore the area with someone who was familiar with it, and could answer his questions, and tell him not to eat potions ingredients, he had plenty of experience wandering around unfamiliar places alone. 

Severus exited the shop a moment later. “Do you have somewhere you need to be?” asked The Doctor, “or do you have time to visit a few more shops?”

“I am in no immediate hurry”, he replied “my potions can wait another while longer. In fact there’s actually a book I have been meaning to pick up, we could go to Flourish and Blotts, the book shop next, if that is acceptable.”

The Doctor quickly agreed and they set off down the alley. Before they arrived, The Doctor has the foresight to enquire about currency. He had Pounds Sterling on him, as he made it a habit to acquire some of the local currency when he arrived somewhere, in case he would need it. But it had suddenly occurred to him that as The Wizardly World was entire set apart from the rest of Britain, there was no reason for them to use the same money. His theory was proven correct when Severus explained about Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Luckily, he was able to convert his Pounds into Wizarding money in Gringotts, the bank on the alley, and they first detoured there. 

The bank was an interesting place. It was run by a different species, called Goblins, which The Doctor found interesting, where Wizards and Witches incapable of running their own banks. The Goblins themselves reminded The Doctor of the Sontarans. Both seemed to be a warlike species who considered themselves to be much more advanced than humans. Strax, the Sontaran he most interacted with regularly referred to the humans he encountered as ‘primitive’. The Gobins were extremely efficient and within minutes The Doctor processed some wizarding money, which as they made their way to the book shop Severus explained. It was not the most effective currency system the man had ever seen, with one Galleon equalling 17 Sickles, or 493 Knuts, but The Doctor quickly adapted to it.

They entered the book shop, and The Doctor was amazed by how ordinary it seemed, He had been expecting a magical book shop to look, well magical, but it looked just like any book shop he would find on the other side of The Leaky Cauldron, although rather outdated. While Severus approached the shop keeper to inquire about the book he had reserved, The Doctor began to examine the books on display. There was so much in the Wizardling World that he was still ignorant on, some of the book topics surprised him. Wizards and Witches were capable of divination, as a Time Traveller with the ability to sense Fixed Points in time, that interested him, and he wondered how effective it was. The Magical Community also apparently had a use for Runes, which was strange, as they used English for communicating, what use would they have for an outdated alphabet? He wanted to purchase nearly every book he came across, as he hadn’t found himself this uniformed on another culture and society in a couple of hundred of years. He eventually decided to purchase a couple of basic history books, which would give him insight into the formation of the Wizarding World, along with an introductory book of magic, written for muggleborns. On an impulse he added a book on the various magical creatures and species found within the magical world, and a beginner’s potions book, so he could better understand Severus’ line of work. Satisfied with his purchases, proceeded to the register, where he found Severus waiting for him. He paid for his books. Severus offered to magically shrink his books, but The Doctor just grinned and started shoving thme into his expanded pockets; Time Lords have handy tricks too. They continued down the Alley.

The next shop they passed was a joke shop, which Severus refused to enter, citing that he saw enough of their products during the school term, in pranks played by students, and had no desire to also see them during the summer holidays. 

They continued until they reached Quality Quidditch Supplies, which The Doctor insisted they enter. “I still can’t believe you fly around on brooms, how stereotypical of you.” Severus in turn explained that the myth of Witches on broomsticks that was found in the muggle world, was based on past sightings of the magical community, and had been passed on through the generations, and had eventually made its way into children’s stories. That was also where the muggle world got the idea of wizards in robes. They spent a short amount of time examining the various brooms on display, and also the Quidditch equpiment. The Doctor thought that any gmae with four balls that took place flying through the air at high speeds must be fascinating.

Eventually, they got bored of the Quidditch shop, and Severus suggested that the visited the alley’s sweet shop, explaining that sweets found in the Wizarding World were extremely different to those in the muggle world. The Doctor spent some time marvelling over the Chocolate Frogs (“but how do they move, are they alive?”) and Sugared Butterfly Wings (he was quite horrified to discover that they contained actual butterfly wings), before spending the remainder of his money on a large variety of sweets. He ignored Severus’ warning on Bertie Bott’s Beans, apparently “every flavour” included ear wax and mud, and purchased two packets.

Once he had finished, the two men stood outside and began to discuss their next destination, when The Doctor felt something warm in his pocket. He knew instantly what it was and reached into his pocket to pull out his glowing key. “Oh, it’s ready” he said to himself. Seeing Severus’ experesion he continued “this is the key to The TARDIS, it glows to alert me that it’s nearby. In this case it’s telling me that it is finished repairing itself”. He looked around regretfully, “I’d love to spend more time here, it’s truly fascinating, but unfortunately, I must be getting back, things to do, you know how it is.” 

”Yes”, agreed Severs, “I suppose I have abandoned my brewing for long enough by this stage.”

The Doctor began to walk away, but stopped and turned to Severus; “say, if I ever find myself in the area again, could I look you up?”

“I’d like that.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter, real life got in the way.  
> But here's a longer chapter to make up for it.

Severus needed to get out of the castle. Barely two months into the new school year, and he could already tell that this would be the worst so far.

He didn’t generally enjoy the school term at the best of times. A schedule full of explaining basic concepts to students who did not learn anything, combined with late nights spent patrolling the draughty corridors, and of course, hundreds of excitable children clattering around everywhere he looked. It was safe to say that Severus Snape did not particularly enjoy his job.

But this year Severus had to content with the usually trails of the school year combined with the new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor. It seems they got worse each year. He had not been a fan of Quirrel, or that insipid fool Lockhart. But he thought he had had the worst of them with Lupin, who, along with his cohorts, had relentlessly bullied him throughout his school years and has also at the heart of his first near-death experience. He recognised that it was Black’s fault, but being almost eaten by his colleague when he was 17 wasn’t a good basis for an amicable working relationship.

Umbridge, on the other hand had been appointed by the Ministry to ‘monitor’ the activities of Hogwarts. Her condescending manner of speaking to both students and staff did not endear Severus to her in any way. But that was the least of the issues surrounding her. It was obvious that her real purpose within the school was to undermine Albus Dumbledore’s support amongst the wider population. Severus could also see that she craved power, and that if she would put herself in a position where she had absolute control over Hogwarts she would grab it with both hands. She would use that position to implement the heavily worded suggestions she frequently brought up at any opportunity in the staff room. As if preventing music from being played during study hours would have any positive impacts on the student’s dedication to their homework at all. Utter nonsense. But, of course, she thought she, the person with the least teaching experience was the expert on the subject. 

It was the fact that she was trying to diminish Dumbledore’s standing in the eyes of the pubic that was his main issue with her. The rest, while extremely irritating, was superficial at best.

Since Voldemort had returned during the Tri-Wizard Tournament it was imperative that Dumbledore had the support of the general public. Their support would enable him to prevent The Dark Lord from getting a foothold in either Hogwarts or The Ministry. His position in both as headmaster and Chief Warlock encouraged people to respect him, and follow his lead in standing against Voldemort. If he were to lose these positions the recruitment rates for The Order of The Phoenix would dramatically drop. But Minister Fudge was attempting to bury his head in the sand regarding the high possibility of a war in the near future, and was encouraging the Magical Community to do the same. His method unfortunately involved discrediting the only man Tom Riddle had ever feared. 

And Voldemort himself was also contributing to the stress that Severus was also experiencing. Since his return he had been calling regular meetings. He was planning the best way to take over The Ministry and Hogwarts, and making preparations for the impending war. But the main purpose of these meetings was to figure out how Voldemort could get is hands on The Prophecy. The Prophecy that foretold that Harry Potter would have the power to defeat him. It was of the upmost importance that Voldemort did not hear the entire prophecy. Knowing that “one must die at the hand of the other” would greatly increase the amount of effort he put into ensuring that it would be Potter who did not survive, and not himself. As he name the man had chosen for himself, which derives from the French for ‘flight from death’ , would suggest , Voldemort would do everything in his power to ensure his continued existence.

As such, Severus’ role as a spy currently revolved around appearing to sincerely assist Voldemort in retrieving The Prophecy, while actually doing everything in his power to prevent him from succeeding. And of course, he must still report Voldemort’s plans to The Order of The Phoenix, and also maintaining his cover around the Death Eaters.

Needless to say, Severus had had an extremely challenging few months, and was relieved to be getting away from the castle for the day. He could feel the tension drain from his shoulders as he made his way off the grounds towards the apparation point. He felt relief flood through him. He was so close to freedom, however fleeting, he could taste it. He planned to spend the day in the muggle world, away from the stress of his job and position as a spy both. He closed his eyes and disapperated.

  


* * *

  


When he opened his eyes a few moments later, after the nausea had passed he found himself in familiar surroundings He had not had anywhere in particular in mind when he left Scotland, just the idea of getting somewhere he could relax.

Severus’ childhood, though, had not been one which had left him with places he preferred to Hogwarts, which felt more like home to him than anywhere else he had even been. His actual house in Cokeworth, where he had lived with his alcoholic father and his sullen, distant mother (who often acted as if she resented Severus for being alive and as such effectively tying her to Tobias Snape and the muggle world) was not exactly a suitable environment in which to raise a child. Needless to say Severus had a dearth of happy childhood memories. In fact, his only happy childhood memories either revolved around Lily, or had occurred in the city where he currently stood. 

When Severus was nine years old his father had made the decision to improve his life. He quit drinking and resolved to spend more time with his family. His mother; no longer finding herself saddled with a drunkard for a husband and become less cold and distant. After two weeks sobriety Tobias decided that a family holiday was in order. So the Snapes set off to spend two weeks in Wales for some quality family time.

Nine-year-old Severus was not only thrilled to find himself in a whole other country for the first time, albeit one still in the United Kingdom, but also to have two parents who were attempting to be a family. He had a wonderful time. The fact that it was cold and rainy for the duration of their trip, and they could not afford to visit any of the attractions the city had to offer did not faze him in the slightest. For two weeks little Severus had been the happiest he had ever been. He had even begun to hope for the future. That his father would remain sober, and that his mother could support him in ways that a mother should.

But it was not to be. One week into their holiday, Tobias exploded over some minor detail, and spent the day in the nearest pub. The next day, after a particularly vicious fight between his parents, they packed up and returned home. Things within the Snape household had reverted to their usual state of affairs, and neither Elaine nor Tobias ever attempted to improve things again.

But for a short time, Severus had had everything he had ever wanted, a true family, that cared for each other. And although it had been ripped away before he’d even had a change to acclimatise to it, Severus would also associate Cardiff with a happiness he had rarely felt.

  


* * *

  


Severus was surprised to find himself in Cardiff, but it was a pleasant surprise. His childhood holiday had left him with an abundance of happy memories of the city. He decided that while he was here he was going to make the best of it. Albus had given him the whole day off; he didn’t have to return to the castle until dinner, so he picked a direction and random at started walking.

Nothing looked familiar to him, and the city had changed in the last 26 years, but after an hour and numerous wrong turns he found himself in the centre of the city. This area was more familiar to him and he made his way to Bute Park, where his family had had a picnic lunch several times. In a spur of the moment decision, he walked to a nearby newsagent and bought an ice cream. He then sat in the park and savoured it. It had been several years since he had last had a muggle one.

It was a typical British autumn day; clear blue skies with a light wind, cold enough to warrant wearing a coat. People watching was an interest of Severus’ and he spent a considerable amount of time observing the passers-by as they went about their days.

Eventually, Severus got too cold to remain outside. He recalled that there was a museum nearby. Ha had wanted to visit it when he was younger, but his parents had been unable to afford the entrance fee. However, now Severus had time to spare, and a muggle bank account, mostly for emergencies. He wasn’t excessively affluent, but he could easily afford the fee.

Severus had an interest in most things academic, and spent several hours examining the museum’s various departments. He decide to spare the Art section no more than a passing glance, and was in the midst of the archaeology exhibit when he heard a commotion.

  


* * *

  


A member of the museum’s security time was repeatedly telling a visitor that they could not touch the artifacts on display. Severus sighed internally; he had no patience for idiots. The items in a museum where clearly priceless pieces of history, and should not be handled to ensure that they did not become damaged. He attempted to ignore the distraction and continue his study of Vikings, but within a few moments the situation became impossible to disregard. The security guard had called for backup, as the man had continued to ignore his instructions and had removed the relic from its display case and was handling it recklessly. The security team were attempting to remove the man from the premises, but he was resisting them. Just as they were contacting the local police department, the man began to leave in a hurry. Severus caught a glimpse of him as he ran past, and thought he looked familiar, but it was hard to be certain from a three second glace of the back of a head.

The museum than announced that they would be closing, due to the theft. Severus, displeased that his visit had been cut short due to the incident, decided to go to a nearby restaurant for lunch. After his lunch, he explored some of the other tourist attractions in the area that he had not had the chance to visit as a child. But for the duration of the day he could not forget the image of the man fleeing the museum. His instincts were telling him that he had met the man before, but he had no recollection of it. His people recognition skills were above average, honed by his years as a spy. He had to memorise the appearance of hundreds of Death Eaters, to facilitate The Order of the Phoenix in identifying them. As such, he had a great memory for people and when he thought he recognised someone he was generally correct. The obvious answer was that the man had been a student of Severus’, or that perhaps they had been students together. Severus had taught hundreds of students, and been in school with hundreds more. In fact, he probably knew everyone in the magical community between the ages of 11 and 42 due to his time spent in Hogwarts. But that explanation didn’t seem to be correct, why would a Wizard steal a muggle artifact in such an obvious way. He could have used magic to ensure that nobody knew he had taken it. Yet it couldn’t be a muggle, as Severus had not had any interactions with muggles since starting Hogwarts 24 years ago. Something about the situation did not make sense.

Late afternoon found Severus strolling near the Roald Dahl Plass. He was enjoying the view of the Docks and preparing to return to Hogwarts, when he saw the man from the museum in front of him. This time he was with a blonde woman, perhaps an accomplice. The two were talking and laughing as they ambled down the street, as if the police were not out looking for them. Severus followed them from a distance unsure of what to do. This was definitely the man who had stolen from the museum; there was no doubt in his mind. Did Severus have a duty to report the man to the proper authorities? He also wanted to catch a glimpse of the man’s face. That would let him know who the man was. The mystery of it had the potential to aggravate him for months; how did he know this man? 

Just then the man turned and Severus gasped. It was him: The Doctor. Since meeting him in Diagon Alley five years ago he had often thought of him. Severus had begun to think he would never see him again. It had been a long time after all. As time went on Severus began to doubt it had been real. The man must have been a muggle who had someone ended up in the alley. There was no such thing as aliens and he was a fool to have believed it. And seeing him again today had confirmed it. A man who stole from museums without a care, would have no trouble spinning a tale to stranger.

He sped up to catch up to the pair. He had no plan in mind, but he was not going to allow a mugge to fool him like this. As he got closer he heard snippets of the pair’s conversation. They seemed to be talking about how the item stolen from the museum had been the head of a “cyberman” and how dangerous it had been to have it lying around. The man had clearly also lied to the woman at his side. However, as the conversation continued Severus realised the woman was speaking as if she had seen these ‘cybermen’. Could the man have been telling the truth after all. No it was much more likely that he had been brainwashed in some way.

Severus opened his mouth to confront the man, when he suddenly vanished. He was there one second the next he wasn’t. He looked around, but no of the other muggles had noticed anything amiss. He briefly contemplated the idea that the man had in fact been a Wizard and had just apparated, but the sound of someone apparating was impossible to miss.

He continued forward, towards the place where the man had stood before he disappeared and something caught his eye. When he peered around trying to detect what he had noticed he saw nothing out of the ordinary. However years of practice breaking through Notice-Me-Not charms kicked it. This combined with his skill in mind arts such as Occlumency allowed to see what he was being encouraged to ignore.

It was a blue box, with the word ‘police’ displayed on the top. While he had never seen one, Severus recognised it as a Police Box, used in the muggle world before the advancement of telecommunication devices made them obsolete. But why was there one in Cardiff? How was it being hidden? And what business did the man who called himself The Doctor have with it?

He was about to reach for the handle of the door when it began to make the strangest noise. It could best be described as a “whooshing” or “wheezing” sound. . And then the box vanished from view. He reached out to touch what had been the door to confirm that it was not merely invisible, but his hand only encountered air. It had gone.

There was no magic that allowed building to apparate or be portkeyed. And there was obviously no muggle solution to what had just happened. That left just one thing. The man had been telling the truth. He truly was a Time Lord from Gallifrey. And that had been his spaceship: The TARDIS.

Severus returned to Hogwarts, and while the situation had not improved in his absence, Severus felt much calmer than he had this morning. Some of that could be contributed to his visit to Cardiff itself, but the majority of it had to do with The Doctor. The man hadn’t lied. There really were aliens spread of on other planets throughout the Universe. The thought of it filled Severus with a strange kind of hope. No matter how bad things got in the Wizarding World with the upcoming war, even if Voldemort destroyed the entire planet, the world would go on. There were millions of species that would continue to live, completely unaware that anything had changed. It allowed him to put the war into context. The Universe was basically infinite, and while Voldemort had been a huge threat to the entirety of Wizarding Britain for almost 60 years, he was barely a blip in the grand scheme of things. And a final part in the improvement of his mood was the man himself. A man who attempts to eat potion ingredients, talks a mile a minute, and asks thousands of questions. A mad man with a blue box.


End file.
